Their Secret Obsession by Pippa Moon

Chapter 0351

Lottie POV

I had braced myself for bad news, but nothing could have prepared me for the blow Liam and Chase were about to deliver. Their faces were solemn, their eyes filled with a regret that spoke louder than words, and a sense of foreboding flooded my gut before a single syllable passed their lips.

"We made a bargain," Liam said at last, voice low but unwavering. "A pact with Selene to protect you and... the babies."

My whole body went rigid. The unborn twins within me stirred in response, or perhaps it was my own pulse hammering at my rib cage that I felt. Six months along, and I had grown accustomed to them reacting to my heightened emotions--but the sharp flutter now felt like panic. A creeping sense of dread, slow and paralysing, started to snake through my limbs.

"Protect me from what?" I rasped, my throat tight with fear and confusion. "And why didn't you tell me? Why have I only found out now?"

"We thought we could fix it quietly. The terms of our bargain were... complicated. We didn't want to worry you if we could avoid it." Chase shifted uncomfortably, his usual playful demeanour subdued.

"Well, it's a bit late for that." A sour laugh escaped me as I spoke. My heart thumped painfully, and I clasped my hands over my belly in an attempt to soothe the roiling turmoil. "What kind of deal did you make with Selene?"

"We surrendered our remaining time," Liam admitted. His gaze flickered to my midsection, almost apologetically. "The pact was made when we thought it was the only way to ensure your safety--and the twins"."

"Your... remaining time? What do you mean, 'remaining time'?" My breath caught, I think I knew, but I needed to hear it from them.

Lottie. She has given us time to say our goodbyes before she... collects

my own heartbeat for a moment. The realisation tasted bitter: I had only recently found my brothers after a lifetime of being denied a family, and now they would

choked out, shaking my head. "That can't

which meant they wouldn't get to meet their uncles--the uncles who had spent

My heart hammered so vigorously that the babies kicked in alarm, and I forced myself to take a sharp

me. Why?" My voice trembled with

rose from my seat

my bulk as I stood.

once, everyone seeming to fear that I might keel over or--given the barely contained power sparking beneath my skin--unleash a storm of my own. My mates hovered anxiously, but I

attempt at levity. He gave me a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We won't be going far, and it's not like you aren't a

into a wall. The cheeky spark in

to read to the twins at night when they're born, huh? Who'll watch them grow and do all those things you promised you'd do? You made me believe

have your mates," Liam countered softly. "You won't be alone, not

the family, I could not reach. Now, I was surrounded by my mates, my

the terror and heartbreak threatening to swamp me. The immediate wave of guilt

air, and sparks of bright white light flickered from my fingertips, popping in luminescent arcs across the

his chest, his expression thunderous yet contained. I could sense his silent fury vibrating like a taut bowstring on